Cultivating-tool.



J. B. JOHNSON. CULTIVATQNG TOOL. APPLICATION'FILED AUG.25. -I914.

Patented Apr. 6,1915.

- .INVENTOR. J BJo/ms 0/7 WITNESSES: 5

JOHN B. JOE-HUGH, FORTCGLLINS; illfilifllttdilfl.

cnnrIvnrmc-roon Specification of Letters Eatentg aillygmfi gfl Originalapplication filed July 7., 1914, Serial No. 849,379 Divided andapplication filed magnet 1914. Serial No, 5,459.

To all 20. mm it may concern:

Be it known. that 1, JOHN B. JOHNSON, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Fort Collins, in the county"of Larimer and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Cultivating-Tools, of which the following is aspecification. This invention relates to improyements in cutting toolsfor use on 'cultivators and kindred machines, such as that shown in myapplication for Patent No. 849,379, filed July 7, 1914, of which thepresent application is divisional. i

The principal object of the present invention is to providetools ofpecu'liarconstruo tion which when moved in a series, across the rows ofplants in' a field to be cultivated,

will quickly and efiectively-f divide 'the'plants into hills and at thesame time loosen. and" work the ground around these bills to facilitatesubsequent thinning and to generally improve the condition of theremaining plants.

My invention is particularly adapted to be used inthe cultivation ofbeets and other plants of the same character which ordinarily are hoedinto hills and thinned by manual labor. The last mentioned method ofcultivation not only requires much time, care and labor, but it leavesthe ground around the hills in a hard an d smooth condition which makesthinning of the plants very dillicult and which is conducive ofproducing alkali crusts around the plants which retard and impair theirgrowth.

In the accompanying drawingsin the va-' rious views of which like partsare similarly designated, Figure l is a plan View of a cul' tivator towhich my improved cutting tools have been applied, Fig. 2, a face viewof one of the cutting tools, Fig. 3, a section taken along the line 3 3,Fig. 2, Fig. 4, a section along the line M, Fig. 3, and Fig. 5, asection taken along the line 5-5, Fig. 3,

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, the

numeral Q'designates a suitable carrier in,

cluding a' wheel-supported frame 3,.wh'ich is adapted to operativelymove a series of my improved tools across a field to be cultivated. Theframe has at its front end, means for the attachment of draft animals,and it has at its opposite end, a transverse bar 4 on which the cuttingtools, together with other parts hereinafter to be described, areassembled.

' interference with the proper operation of The cultivating tools 5 areadios connected tothe bar by means of clan which permit of their beingraised or rowered in accordance with the depth at which is desired towork theground; Each of the tools composedof a blade 7 fwh projects .lorovardly at thelower oishank 8 whih is composed of a strai it portionQanwa curved, lower portion ill at the extremity of which the blade stached soasto project forwardly at snbi stantially right angles to thelongitudinal axis of the shank. "The portion 10, of the shank issharpened at its front edge, ashrdica'ted at 12 in the drawings,-for thepur' a pose of dividing the roots, plants anddirt which are dislodged bythe action. of the slades, and of thereby preventin their accumulationabove the latter and consequent the-tool. .The blade 7 which as statedbe fore, is secured at the lower end of the shank in a forwardlyprojecting position, is composed of three integral members which in theoperation of the machinecooperate to produce the desired results. Two ofmembers of the blade extend diver-gently r'earwardly from the rear endof the'cenjtral, forwardly projecting members .13 of the same with whichthey are formed integral. The function of the middle member 13 is V tobreak the ground for the proper opera tion of the other members whichroot the plants and at the same time loosen the soil between the hillsof plants, and it consists q with this purpose in View, of a slender,

sharp-edged, pointed. and slightly tapering tooth which rca dilypenetrates the harda path for the other laterally projecting or; members18. l The last-mentioned parts of the blades are like the middle member,of slender and, slightly tapering form and their forward edges 19 aresharpened to cut th-- pla ts and loosen the soil. The tools we aresecured to the bar 4 of the machine alternately intwo transverse rows,as shown in Fig. l of the drawings, preferably in association withprotective shields 21 which are disposed between the tools to protect wethe plants in the hills formed by the action of the blades, from theviolent contact of the loosened dirt and stones. 4

When the machine is drawn across a field to oo-cultivated, transverse ofthe rowsof w hills.

plants. with the blades of the tools at the reqlnired distance beneaththe surface of the soi the forwardly projecting middle members 13 of theblades, loosen the soil in advance of "the divergent knife members 18which cut the plants along the entire Width of the blades, therebydividing the rows into Inasmuch as the blades loosen and work the earthin close proximity to the hills (if plants, subsequent thinning isgreatly facilitated and the growth of the remaining plants is at thesame time promoted-..

The curved, sharp-edged portions of the tool-shanks prevent ashereinbefore explained, the accumulation of dirt, roots and plants onthe tools by providing a space reari vardly of the Working parts of then: which the loosened and severed matter collects to be subsequently outand r thrown aside by contact with the sharpened edge's iof the shanks.

Having thus described my invention What I claim and desire to secure byLetters-Pattent is: I

1. A cultivating tool comprising a shank, and at the lower end thereof,a blade composed of a forwardly projecting blade composed of a slender,pointed middle member and two sharp-edged members which extenddivergently rearWardly from the rear end of the first-mentioned member.

2. A cultivating tool comprising a shank, and a blade composed of threeelongate members Which project outwardly from a common point at the endof the shank, one of said members being pointed and extending forwardlyfrom the said point, and the two other members extending rearwardly fromthe said point at equal angles With relation to the saidforwardlyextendinomember and having their forward edg "harpened for the purposespecified.

In testimony whereof I haw fixed my signature in presence of twoWitnesses.

JOHN B. JOHNSQN.

Witnesses C. M. Lrccn'r'r, J. R. WALLACE.

